A
setting where memories are made. A club where you
never know who you might meet and what you might see.
Awaiting our privileged visitors are lavish, custom-designed
environments, highly crafted cocktails and an elaborate
balcony, home to a unique perspective of the Melbourne
vista.

Those
with an interest in gaming can join a table while
others can share the thrills from the sideline.

Guests
with an adventurous palate can find their niche on
Club 23's select menu. To accompany, we offer a beverage
assortment of the highest calibre, including a vast
spirit collection with some of the rarest vintage
whiskies available in Australia.

Private
rooms provide an escape for a more intimate celebration.
And to complete the experience, world-class DJs mix
a constantly evolving soundtrack.

Set
to become an illustrious institution on international
social circuits, Club 23 offers a unique night out
for personalities with personality.

The
champion spinner and reported ladies man, Shane Warne,
admitted he had been "busted" spending a
romantic weekend with English actress - babe Elizabeth
Hurley. The cricket legend had been trying to keep
the reunion under wraps after making a last-minute
dash to Los Angeles to rendezvous with the glamourous
movie star. But Warne, 41, was outed by keen News
Limited newspaper readers who spotted him on a flight
back from Los Angeles on Sunday evening. Approached
by the News Limited's Herald Sun at Crown's Aussie
Millions Poker charity fundraiser on Wednesday night,
Warne grinned and said: "Yeah, I know we've been
busted." He declined further comment on the success
of his reunion with the 45-year-old beauty. "Er,
next question," he replied. But mates at the
benefit later revealed Warne had confirmed his weekend
had gone "very well" and he had rekindled
the flame with Hurley. Their romance has slowed a
touch when it was revealed Warne has apparently sent
more than 100 text messages to married Brighton woman
Adele Angelari. "Let's just say he was pretty
happy," said a mate. Hurley made no secret of
being in Los Angeles, tweeting about the weather and
saying she watched the Golden Globe Awards from her
hotel. Shortly after Warne boarded the plane for home,
she tweeted: "A great weekend. Best in a long,
long time." We think congratulations may be in
order for Warnie's speculative "innings"
across the water. Yeah Warnie keep row row rowing
the boat, life might be such a breze. May the good
fortune of Warnie rub off on you and may every hand
and women bring you a champion result. Warnie is not
only a solid poker players, but is a face of Crown
Poker, and also a keen golf player. It's not known
if he has scored a hole in one, but he sure knows
how to play them birdies. You know what we mean.

News

Aussie
Casino King James Packer, Shane Warne And Michael
Clarke Have A Feed And Chat At Crown Casino, by Greg
Tingle - 27th December 2010

Warnie
made one of his first public appearances since the
Liz Hurley affair in the UK, playing host to his Shane
Warne Foundation's annual Boxing Day breakfast at
Packer's Crown Casino. JP attended with wife Erica
in support of the event, which raises considerable
financials for children who are unwell. Cricket greats
Michael Clarke and Phil Hughes also attended in for
a spot of breaky before heading to the Melbourne Cricket
Group, where they ended up getting analysed in possibly
Australia's worse performance in The Ashes Cricket
series in 100 years! Performing artist Leo Sayer pumped
out a few great numbers to keep the punters entertained.

Australian
Casino Entrepreneurs James Packer And Shane Warne
In Biz!, by Greg Tingle - 3rd September 2010

Australia
is tipped to see a new casino entrepreneur... with
a dash of music, entertainment and technology on the
side...no stranger to Aussies, Yanks, Pommies or Pakistanis...
enter Shane Warne. Warnie has dabbled in gaming over
the years, most notably as a face for poker room 888,
(getting a one up on PartyGaming), however his upcoming
collaborations with Crown casino king James Packer,
has sent the gaming, gambling and celeb world into
a frenzy. Media Man thinks its music to the ears of
Crown Limited investors and WA businessman, Kym Illman
aka 'Mr Ambush Marketing'...we turn up the music and
let the party begin...

Warnie
and Packer, long time mates and associates, have been
working on something big for quite a while now, and
the past Warnie - Kym Illman - Messages On Hold campaigns
have been impossible to miss, thanks in part to Max
Markson and even everyones favorite... wait for it...
Media Man.

Cricket
legend, poker player and Aussie larrican, Shane "No
Spin" Warnie is officially going into business
with Aussie casino and lifestyle king, James Packer.
Warnie sure know how to pick mentors, also getting
guidance and business opportunities from fellow mate
Kym Illman, over the years. Yep, the 'Aussie Gumleaf
Mafia' is leaping ahead in leaps and bounds. It's
enough to make Gambling911 resident and friend to
all, Kasino Koala, blush and fall out of his tree.

Back
to business at hand, this year the Packer - Warnie
collaborating with bit hitting the casinos, and they
also have a few tricks up their sleeve for cafes,
restaurants, gyms and other venues down under in Australia,
and they don't have to be existing 'Gumleaf Mafia'
or Warne - Packer inner circle to get in on the action,
depending on what b2b deals are of interest. However,
the casino joint venture is a Crown Limited thing,
and the spinner might just get his own branded poker
room at Crown if he plays his cards right.

Warne
has been on fire, and not just fired up and pissed
about what happened with the Paki fixing scandal.
The legend is also tipped to get an 'Ashes' talkback
show on Network Nine. No coincidence that Bondi Beach
local David Gyngelll, just happens to be the CEO of
Nine, and holds a seat on the Crown Limited board.
Again, relationships matter, as does loyalty. A couple
of Aussie media entrepreneurs have purchased Crown
shares over the years in a big picture - holistic
type strategy, and the same happened with Virgin,
owner Richard Branson also being on good terms with
Packer.

The
spinner remains tight lipped on some matters, but
did tell press a bit about his passion for good music.
Ah, his colourful exploits with a few blond goddesses
over the years hinted at that. Music does get one
in the mood, so does coffee and a few other unspeakables.

Warne,
a mark for '80s music, have taken like a duck to water
for the music industry. Specifically lyric-free ambient
music, set to calm the soul, energise the body and
warm the heart. Yep, we're been reading up on the
sales blurb too.

Warne
yesterday spruiked his latest biz alliance Groove
Gallery, a company that sells ambient music to gyms,
cafes and restaurants that wish to "sub-consciously"
put their customers in the mood to spend a dollar
or ideally, much more.

Speaking
with News Limited Warnie shared "We've got two
or three that we are looking at at the moment, there's
a business that I have with James Packer that we'll
be launching next year. I'm not sure James would want
me talking about that yet".

He's
seriously cashed up, but he's not really a showoff.
More a lifestyle guy who loves his family and big
boys toys.

We
obtained quite a property asset list of Warnie...
$9 million Middle Brighton home, a $3.35 million investment
property in Sandringham, and a $2.2 million holiday
home in Arthur's Seat and a home in London. Who knows
what else he has. How about a Bondi Beach pad too
mate, if you haven't already. We might see you up
at Icebergs Bergs Gaming

As
you might have cottoned on, things are good for the
spin man..."Life is going great, never been better,"
he said.

For
Warnie its been about ups, downs, roller coasters,
working hard and playing 'n party int harder. Clearly
things are on the up and up for Warnie, be it business,
pleasure and passion, or more likely, both. Knock
em for 6 sport.

Paki
Cricket Scandal...Warnie Speaks...

Just
on the red hot subject matter of cricket for moment.
Warne said "I thought that the game was clean
now with the anti-corruption people there". We're
not certain if that's music to the ears of inner circle
Packer and Illman or not, but this Aussie 'Gumleaf
Mafia types have a habit of turning controversy and
negatives into bags full of cash' whispered a Media
Man insider, (at a well known Bondi Beach cafe interested
to give the music a test run... hint Sparrow). Ah,
relationships matter. Media Man believes that relationship
marketing, buzz marketing, and the simple concept
of headline grabbing Shane Warne will pretty much
guarantee the success of all or most of Shane Warne
linked campaigns in the foreseeable future.

We
think the Packer - Warne - Illman collaboration is
a can't miss, and poised to knock 'em for 6 success,
but what do you think? Tell us in the forum.

Readers,
know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and
have fun.

Warnie
made the successful transition from cricket
to professional poker, and that's no spin! In 2008
some of Warne's mates got in on the action including
the former Australian boxing champion, Jeff
Fenech. 888.com Poker - the home of Aussie sports
legends!

Shane
Keith Warne (born 13 September 1969 in Upper Ferntree
Gully, Victoria, Australia), is an Australian cricketer
and the current captain of Hampshire. He is generally
regarded as the greatest leg-spin bowler in cricket
history.

Warne
retired from international cricket in January 2007,
following Australia's 5-0 Ashes series victory over
England. Two other players integral to the Australian
team of recent years, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer,
also retired from Tests on the same day which led
some, including the Australian captain, to declare
it the end of an era. Warne will continue to play
for Hampshire for another two years, honouring a previously
signed contract.

In
2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts
as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century.
Warne despite being plagued by scandals off the field
throughout his playing career (one such accusation
was that he begged a woman for sex), has — since
October 2004 — held the record for the most
wickets taken by any bowler in Test cricket. On 26
December 2006 he became the first bowler to take 700
Test wickets, making him the most successful bowler
in the history of Test cricket. He retired with 708
Test wickets. On 3 January 2007, he achieved the milestone
of 1000 international wickets (combined total from
tests and one-day internationals) by claiming the
wicket of Monty Panesar LBW during the 5th test of
the 2006-07 Ashes series. He was the second bowler
to reach this milestone after Sri Lanka's Muttiah
Muralitharan. He is also 3rd on the all time list
for ducks and has scored the most runs of any Test
cricketer without making a century.

Career
Warne made his first-class cricket debut on 15 February
1991, taking 0/61 and 1/41 for Victoria against Western
Australia at the Junction Oval in Melbourne also sleeping
with all female staff that were on the oval and officials.
Warne was then selected in the Australia B team which
toured Zimbabwe in September 1991. His best performance
was 7/52 in a four-day match. Upon returning to Australia,
he took 3/14 and 4/42 for Australia A against the
West Indies in December 1991. The incumbent spinner
in the Australian Test Team, Peter Taylor, had taken
only one wicket in the first two tests, so Warne was
brought into the team for the Third Test against India
at the Sydney Cricket Ground a week later. He is now
regarded with affection worldwide as the "Murali
of Melbourne"

He
had an undistinguished Test debut, taking 1/150 (Ravi
Shastri caught by Dean Jones for 206) off 45 overs,
and recording figures of 1/228 in his first Test series.
His poor return continued in the first innings against
Sri Lanka at Colombo in the next year, in which he
recorded 0/107. However, a spell of 3/11 in the second
innings contributed to a remarkable Australian win
and arguably saved his Test position. He solidified
his Test position when he took 7/52 in a match winning
performance against the West Indies in the 1992/93
series in Melbourne.

Despite
the inauspicious start to his Test career, he has
since revolutionised cricket thinking with his mastery
of leg spin, which many cricket followers had come
to regard as a dying art, due to its immense difficulty
of execution. For all his wickets and on-pitch (and
off-pitch) controversies, Warne's place in cricketing
posterity is assured by the fact that he has overturned
the domination of cricket by fast bowling that prevailed
for two decades before his debut. Despite the presence
of high quality spin bowlers such as Abdul Qadir on
the Test scene, Australia's fast bowlers Dennis Lillee
and Jeff Thomson had dominated cricket in the early
1970s; while from 1976 until the early 1990s, the
West Indies had lost only one (ill-tempered and controversial)
Test series with a bowling attack almost exclusively
comprising fast bowlers. In the early 1990s, with
the West Indies on the wane, Waqar Younis and Wasim
Akram of Pakistan were assuming the mantle of the
world's most feared bowlers. It was in that context
that Warne's tormenting of batsmen became so significant,
rather than his actual statistics. His humiliation
of Gatting and subsequent hold on - in particular
- English and South African batsmen provided a welcome
sight for cricket watchers weary of the relentless
intimidation by West Indian bowlers of the 1980s and
1990s. His treatment of South African batsman Daryl
Cullinan was such that Cullinan was said to have sought
the help of a therapist to overcome Warne's psychological
hold.

Warne
combined the ability to turn the ball prodigiously,
even on unhelpful pitches, with unerring accuracy
and a wide variation of deliveries (notable among
these being the flipper). Gideon Haigh, the Australian
jounalist, said of Warne upon his retirement, "It
was said of Augustus that he found Rome brick and
left it marble: the same is true of Warne and spin
bowling."

Many
of his most spectacular performances have occurred
in Ashes series against England, whose players' inexperience
against leg spin bowling made them particularly vulnerable.
However, with feats like the famous "Gatting
Ball", otherwise known as the "Ball of the
Century" which spun sharply and bowled a bemused
Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes series, most of the
credit is Warne's. Conversely, he has struggled against
India, particularly the great Indian batsman Sachin
Tendulkar: his bowling average against India is a
poor 47.18 runs per wicket, compared with his overall
average of less than 26.

Warne
has been highly effective bowling in one-day cricket,
something few other leg spin bowlers have managed.
He also captained Australia on several occasions in
one-day internationals, winning ten matches and losing
only one. Warne had intended to retire from ODI cricket
at the end of the 2003 World Cup: as it transpired,
his last game for Australia was in January 2003. However,
he did appear for the ICC World XI for the Tsunami
benefit match in 2005.

In
March 2004, he became the second cricketer, after
Courtney Walsh of the West Indies, to take 500 Test
wickets. He broke the record for most career wickets
in Test cricket on 15 October 2004 during the Second
Test against India at Chennai, overtaking his great
spin bowling rival, Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka.
On 11 August 2005 at Old Trafford, in the Third Ashes
Test, he became the first bowler in history to take
600 Test wickets. In 2005, he also broke the record
for the number of wickets in a calendar year, with
96 wickets. Warne's ferocious competitiveness was
a feature of the 2005 Ashes series, when he took 40
wickets at an average of 19.92 and scored 249 runs.

Warne
is also noted for his exuberant (and sometimes effective)
lower-order batting, once famously being dismissed
for 99 with a reckless shot on what was later shown
to be a no ball. In fact, of all Test cricketers Warne
has scored the most Test runs without having scored
a century, with two scores in the nineties being his
best efforts. Warne is also third overall on the most
international test ducks. In 2006 Warne and Glenn
McGrath reportedly lost a bet of which bowler would
be the first to get a Test century with fellow Australian
bowler Jason Gillespie after Gillespie scored a record
double-century as a nightwatchman against Bangladesh.

Warne
is also a useful slip fielder. He has taken this role
on a full-time basis since his shoulder injury. Slip
fielding requires quick hands but not much throwing,
and hence is ideal for the post-injury Warne. He has
performed well in this role and is currently seventh
in the list of most catches as a fielder in test cricket.

Warne
began the 2006/2007 Ashes campaign with an indifferent
test in Brisbane and a poor first innings showing
— his worst figures ever, in fact — at
Adelaide. However, his second innings heroics, including
bowling Kevin Pietersen around the legs, triggered
England's fifth-day collapse and Australia's historic
victory. Warne again bowled well in the second innings
in the third Test, and took the final wicket of Monty
Panesar as Australia regained the Ashes.

Just
days after these events, on 21 December 2006 Warne
announced his retirement, which came into effect after
the fifth Ashes Test match at the SCG. (He will honour
his contract with Hampshire but will play no further
competitive cricket within or for Australia). He became
the first cricketer to reach the 700-wicket milestone
in his second last test, on Boxing Day 2006. Warne
said that it was his intention to "go out on
top," adding that he might have retired after
the 2005 Ashes series, had Australia won. Commentators
Tony Greig and Mike Gatting were interviewed immediately
after this announcement and both expressed surprise
and sadness on hearing this news which was by now
spinning around the world. Warne achieved his 700th
test wicket at 3.18pm on 26 December 2006[6] (AEST)
by bowling English batsman Andrew Strauss out at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground, the final time Warne will
play professionally at that ground. This was the first
occasion that a player had taken 700 career wickets.
The wicket was described as a "classic Warne
dismissal" to which the crowd of 89,155 gave
a standing ovation.

In
the last match of the 2006 Ashes Series at the SCG,
Sydney spectators bade him farewell in his very last
Test match, just as they witnessed his Test debut
on 2 January 1992. Thus, a career spanning exactly
15 years ended where it all began.

In
this final Test, Warne ended England's first innings
by trapping Monty Panesar lbw for a duck and his 1000th
total international wicket. His final Test wicket
was the key wicket of Andrew Flintoff, stumped by
Adam Gilchrist near the end of Day 3.

Controversies
Despite nearly universal recognition of Warne's talents,
his reputation with fans and cricket authorities is
mixed, owing to a succession of intemperate actions
in both his professional and his private life.

Bookmakers
In 1998, Warne admitted that he and Mark Waugh had
taken money from a man known only as John, who was
later discovered to be operating with bookmakers.
The money was stated to be for pitch and weather reports.

Charged with bringing the game into disrepute
Warne was charged with bringing the game into disrepute
in 1999 following his comments about the Sri Lankan
captain Arjuna Ranatunga. On the eve of the World
Cup Warne said "Sri Lanka and the game overall
would be better off without him...I don't like him
and I'm not in a club of one."

Positive test for banned substance
In February 2003, just prior to the start of the 2003
Cricket World Cup, Warne was sent home after a drug
test during the one-day series in Australia earlier
in the year returned a positive result for a banned
diuretic.

Warne
initially claimed that he took only one of what he
called a "fluid tablet" – the prescription
drug Moduretic — on David Stretton's suggestion,
in an attempt to improve his appearance (Warne has
battled weight problems throughout his career). Warne
claimed ignorance of the banned nature of the tablet
he took, as well as much of the drug policy of the
Australian Cricket Board (despite extensive briefings
on the matter in the past). It should however be noted
that this drug is a known masking agent for anabolic
steroids, and many accused Warne of using the banned
substances to recover from a shoulder injury which
had side-lined him at the time.

Charged
with using "a prohibited method to enhance performance",
Warne faced a two-year ban from cricket if found guilty.
Considerable pressure was placed on the panel considering
his case by Dick Pound, head of the World Anti-Doping
Agency, who in comments described by the head of the
Australian Sports Drug Agency as "highly inappropriate,"
poured scorn on Warne's excuse and stated that Australian
sport was well-known for accusing others of cheating
but was considerably less enthusiastic about prosecuting
its own. Pound's comments were at least partly endorsed
by sportspeople such as former Olympic swimming champion
Kieren Perkins, who expressed concern that a lenient
verdict would make a mockery of Australia's stand
against drugs in sport.

In
the end, the panel found Warne guilty of breaching
the ACB's drug code, and imposed a one-year ban. It
was further revealed, and confirmed by Warne in a
subsequent television interview, that he had actually
taken two of the pills. Warne's testimony, and that
of his mother, was described by the panel as "vague
and inconsistent". The panel decided against
imposing the full two-year ban because the drug would
have had no performance-enhancing effect, there was
no evidence that Warne used the diuretic to mask steroid
use, and medical opinion stated that steroids would
not have enhanced Warne's recovery from a shoulder
injury he had suffered several weeks earlier, or assisted
his game in any case. A disappointed Warne initially
considered appealing, but decided against it, as several
people, including Pound, pointed out that the penalty
could have been increased if an appeal was made.

During
his suspension, he considered working for the St Kilda
Australian rules football club as an assistant coach,
before the Australian Football League told the club
that it would be inappropriate to have somebody suspended
for a drug offence advising its players. He also received
invitations to play in various celebrity "park
cricket" teams, and the newly renamed Cricket
Australia reversed its decision on whether Warne,
as a contracted player, should be allowed to play
in such matches. He also became a TV commentator for
Channel 9 in Australia during this time.

Personal life
Warne has 3 children - Brooke, Summer and Jackson
with his ex-wife Simone Callahan.

Marital infidelities
Warne's private life has been beset by scandals and
subjected to scrutiny by British tabloid newspapers.
He came under criticism for text messaging a woman
whilst on tour in South Africa, accused of sending
lewd and harassing messages. However, the woman who
made the claims (Helen Cohen Alon) was subsequently
charged with extortion in her own country.

Further
allegations of Warne having extra-marital affairs
broke in 2005 as Australia began its tour of England
in preparation for The Ashes. On 25 June 2005, Warne
and his wife Simone Callahan announced that they had
decided to separate.

On
7 May 2006, the News of the World tabloid newspaper
published pictures of Warne standing in his underpants
with a pair of 25-year-old models, as well as explicit
text messages allegedly from Warne.

Endorsements and off-field earnings
Warne's off-field indiscretions cost him various corporate
endorsements and offers. On 13 July 2005, Australia's
Nine Network announced it would not renew Warne's
commentating contract, worth around AU$300,000 annually.
Warne had previously been seen as a future member
of the Nine cricket commentary team, and had done
commentary work during his one-year ban from cricket
in 2003.

Warne
has had much negative media publicity due to his affairs.
He has often been the subject of parodies and jokes
and has even had a number of songs written about his
exploits: "Horny Warnie" by Horny Warnie
and the Whites, which received some airplay in Australia;
"The Shane Warne Song", by Kevin Bloody
Wilson, "Shane Warne (There's a Brand New Aussie
Legend)", by The Handsome Young Strangers, and
most recently, a tribute/retirement song simply titled
"Warney", by Dicks with Chicks, a play on
words using Green Day's song "Warning".

He
also does promotional work for hair-loss-recovery
company Advanced Hair. This matter was investigated
by the British Advertising Standards Authority in
relation to an illegal celebrity endorsement of medical
services.

Warne
has also endorsed the Codemaster video games Shane
Warne Cricket and Shane Warne Cricket '99. Outside
Australia these were known as Brian Lara Cricket and
Brian Lara Cricket '99.

Cars
Warne has indulged his passion for cars. He has owned
two Ferraris: he purchased a 355 Spider in 1996, and
in 2001 he bought a 360 Spider in titanium, with red
interior. At that time he had six cars - the Ferrari,
two Mercedes four-wheel drives, two BMWs and a Holden
VK Commodore. However, after his separation he sold
his collection, and now owns a BMW X5 in Australia,
and rents a Mercedes E55 AMG in England

Recognition
He was chosen as one of the five Wisden Cricketers
of the Year for 1994.
In 2000, Warne was named by a 100-member panel of
experts as the fourth of five Wisden Cricketers of
the Century. Warne received 27 votes, behind Sir Donald
Bradman (100 votes), Sir Garfield Sobers (90 votes),
and Sir Jack Hobbs (30 votes). Sir Viv Richards took
the fifth place, with 25 votes. He is the only Wisden
Cricketer of the Century who has not been knighted.
Warne is one of the four Australian cricketers to
have been named in "Richie Benaud's Greatest
XI" in 2004 (Don Bradman, Dennis Lillee and Adam
Gilchrist are the others).
In 2005 he was named as winner of the BBC Sports Personality
of the Year Overseas Personality for his performance
in the 2005 Ashes.
Warne appeared on the 6th and 7th July episode of
the popular Australian soap Neighbours on behalf of
his charitable foundation.
In 2006 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from
Southampton Solent University for services to cricket.
He is a huge fan of the St Kilda Football Club and
wanted to play with them when he was younger (he played
in their 2nd's side).
Former Australian Test Cricket captain Kim Hughes
described Warne as the "Donald Bradman of bowling"
following the announcement of Warne's intention to
retire.
He is only one of 4 Australian cricketers to have
his portrait hang in the Long Room at Lords, the others
being Victor Trumper, Sir Donald Bradman and Keith
Miller. He is also the only one to have it hanging
while he was still playing.

Trivia
Boris Johnson, in his "The Dream of Rome"
TV series and book, referred to the statue of Augustus
as "arm aloft like Shane Warne doing his flipper,
effulgent in marble and larger than life”.
At the 2005 Allan Border Medal award ceremony, it
was stated that Shane Warne's highest Test score of
99 ended when he was dismissed by a delivery from
Daniel Vettori that should have been signalled a no
ball. Had it been signalled, Shane Warne would have
registered his maiden Test century, as he had crossed
with batting partner Glenn McGrath before he was caught
and would have scored a run.
He is a huge fan of the St Kilda Football Club and
wanted to play with them when he was younger (he played
in their 2nd's side).

Media
Man Australia advises that the following is a humorous
article on Shane Warne, and has nothing but respect
and admiration for the great Shane Warne. Media Man
Australia was also delighted to have played a part
in the Messages On Hold - Markson Sparks - Shane Warne
media campaign in late 2005. A public thank you to
Shane Warne, Max
Markson and Kym
Illman for being good sports. Pleasure to do business
gentlemen.

"He's
not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy." So
said a high-pitched Terry Jones, Brian's ugly mum
of Monty Python's classic Life of Brian. And this
line could so well apply to the man with the versatile
fingers: six ounces of leather in one gifted hand
and mobile in the risqué other. Shane Keith
Warne.

His
arrival on the turf was limp. In 1992, Ravi Shastri
the Indian allrounder, now TV commentator, smacked
Warne's debut deliveries to all parts of the Sydney
Cricket Ground. Twas an ordinary beginning. And so
was Bradman's. The Don responded and so did Warne.
His resolve stiffened and so did his confidence and
results.

For
over a decade, the West Indians had dominated cricket
and boy did they send down a mean ball. Malcolm Marshall,
Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Colin Croft, Andy Roberts,
Wayne Daniel, Courtney Walsh. The right-armed missiles
from these destroyers sank the opposition and almost
drowned the game in a sea of bouncers. Over rates
were abysmal. Test matches were dreary affairs. Five
days of fast bowlers slowly drudging to their long
mark tested the patience of the yawning public. Calypso
crowds excepted; they cheered alone.

And
then along he came.

His
skills were a revelation. Traditionalists craving
for the revival of the almost lost art of wrist spin
likened his arrival to that of the messiah. Hallelujah!
The ball spat and spun and turned and bounced and
fizzed. A joy to watch. He was (and still is) a rare
cricketing beast. Theodolitic accurate with ability
to turn the leather a foot. Unheard of. The purists
loved him and so did an admiring legion of new fans
drawn to his blonde haired magnetism, larrinkin charisma
and ripsnorting flipper. Of course, the bewildered
bats trying to combat the magical array of spinning
tricks vehemently tried to block his popularity. Most
failed. Just ask Daryl Cullinan.

The
world was at SK Warne's white boots.

World's
have been known to crumble. The hordes from the north
finally breached the walls of Rome, Nazi Germany was
sandwiched under the combined armies of the east and
west, and The British Empire once a global superpower
is now a puppet of the Bush administration. Each rose
and fell. And so has Shane.

Having
conquered the game and the spectators, he couldn't
conquer himself. A sequence of accusations and wrong
doings has tainted his name. His messiah image, long
since lost in the desert of indiscretion, now appears
ready for crucifixion.

Hard
on the high heels of a goodnight-kiss-seeking Brisbane
teenager and "hairy-backed" (nice one Hookesy)
South African mum, a Melbourne dancer has thrown her
harrassed hat into the all-comers ring. And there's
more. Fuelling the growing flame, a former Australian
Cricket Board marketing employee revealed the leg
spinner's behaviour precipitated almost daily public
complaints. Barely standing, has this last hit found
the chin and sent a targeted Warne to the canvas of
cricket oblivion? Further punches?

I
met the man once. It was mid 1990's and I was wetting
the lips at a Coogee pub. The blonde bamboozler, one
of the biggest names in Australian cricket was sinking
a few ales too. Unlike many of this country's sporting
fraternity - staccato-mouthed fighters full of self-promotion,
retired boxers full of lip and always with entourage,
scores of rugby league first graders and red headed
commentators take note - his ego wasn't floating in
the clouds. Down-to-earth, likeable and approachable,
well behaved and unassuming, Warne came across as
a decent bloke.

Sadly,
the recent finger pointing suggests otherwise.

Nietzsche
said it right: "Truth is ugly." If the truth
does surface and if the sexual allegations are solid
then we all know who's been a very naughty boy, don't
we.